Some notes from our visit to Lytton Springs winery/tasting room a couple weeks ago. I posted an article on the static/blog pages as well, but with few specific tasting notes, as they are of more interest here.
2005 Lytton Springs Zinfandel: Slight bricking and light edges - looks a bit older than one might expect of '05, beautiful sweet red fruits and a bit of leather on the nose, and more of the same on the palate. This is truly at its peak, and one of the Zinfandels you might mistake for a classically-styled Napa Cab (like Frank Murray did at our Playground tasting). I wouldn’t let this age much more if it were in my cellar.
2011 Lytton Springs Zinfandel: (current release) A touch of toasty oak on the nose, but only 25% new oak used - basically just a timid nose, still young and tight. Beautiful texture, however, feels ‘long’ immediately on the palate. It’s silky, but not heavy - must more elegant but with a substantial feel to it. Another great finish on this wine - hard to go wrong with Lytton Springs, even in a tough vintage.
2008 Pagani Ranch Zinfandel: Looks like a current release - very dark, even to the edges. I got some chocolate on the nose of this one, but also beef stew and smoked meats, which meant I knew immediately Jen wouldn’t like it. More blue fruits than red, some bitterness but in a tannic sense. Weighty, a touch on the syrupy side in regards to the fruit, but not offensively so - very rich and deep overall in character. Fruit does not seem at all resolved yet - this is a big wine, in an awkward state, to me.
2010 Monte Bello: Deep purple color, very dark and primary. Dark chocolate on the nose, with blue fruits and a nice spicy character - smells ‘bright’ and fresh. Fantastic weight on this wine, and the ‘bigness’ dies off a bit right away, but the finish last quite long. Will be fantastic for many years, I’m sure, but really enjoyable now for those who love a primary stage of a well-made Cabernet. Jen’s favorite of the flight, by a long shot.
1995 Monte Bello: Smells SO much like Bordeaux - briney, graphite, leather, red fruits, and a touch of barnyard. In a blind tasting, more than half experienced wine tasters would guess Bordeaux, I’m sure. Acidity is still holding very strong on this wine, and the finish is extremely long. Fantastic old school California excellence with Cabernet Sauvignon, simply. Loved it.
We left the tasting room after signing up for the Monte Bello Collector club.